The Best Meal Planning Guide for Runners

It’s the middle of the week and you just crushed a run after work – maybe it was an interval workout, maybe it was hills, or maybe it was just an awesome couple of miles. Whatever it was, you are now on a runner’s high and feeling pretty good.

Approximately 25 minutes later hunger strikes. Hard.

You get home, open up the fridge and cupboards only to realize, dang, you didn’t prep any food for dinner. You could head to McDonald’s, which seems gross, or resort to eating a big bowl of cereal… again… *sigh*

Or what about this…

You have an awesome morning run, which only affords you enough time to shower and make it to work, so you grab a power-bar for breakfast. You miss lunch because your boss/kids are so demanding, then by the time you get home, everyone at your house is wondering who is going to make dinner. You consider putting a frozen pizza in the oven, until you realize you don’t even have one. *sigh*

Has that ever happened to you? Because I’ve definitely been there on more than one occasion and it really deflates my post-run euphoria.

Poor food choices can lead to poor food habits. Poor food habits can lead to poor performance, both in the workplace and out on a run. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Eat Better, Now!

Instead of eating cold cereal, frozen pizza, or fast food, wouldn’t it be better to have something a little more exciting? Maybe a delicious, healthy meal like baked salmon and veggies or pork stir-fry? And what if you had your lunches all set to go for the rest of the week? And delicious snack and breakfast (most important meal of the day) options too?! And what if you didn’t have to do any of the planning, instead just the shopping and the prepping?

What a dream that would be!

Nathan and I have been collaborating on a special project that will make that dream a reality and we’re so excited to finally share it with you!

Introducing A Runner’s Week of Good Eats! It’s a meal planning guide to help runners spend less time in the kitchen and more time working towards that PR.

With literally hundred of thousands of free recipes online, why should you pay for something like our meal planning guide for runners? We wrestled with this question before beginning this project, and ultimately, it came down to convenience. We wanted to package great recipes with an organized efficient structure to help you actually make them.

We’ve included a sample schedule that will show you how to do the majority of your prep on Sunday night (or whatever night is most convenient), so that in the moments when you’re so hungry you can’t think straight, you’ll have minimal work to do.

No longer will your days be spent googling for delicious, healthy meals, writing out a grocery list, and figuring out how to cook everything. Nathan and I have done all that work for you! All you need to do is grocery shop, cook, and enjoy all these good eats!

If you have any questions about the guide before purchase, don’t hesitate to ask. We’ve include suggestions for various food allergies/preferences, but always good to ask.

To learn more and view recipes, go to the details page, or simply click the button below to start eating better today!

What’s your trick for eating healthy, delicious meals while living a hectic life and training hard?

Jenna Duesterhoeft

Jenna is a demand planner for noosa yoghurt in Denver, CO as well as a NASM Certified Personal Trainer. She loves anything food and fitness related and strives to maintain a healthy, balanced (sometimes indulgent) lifestyle. Check out her recipes and workouts over at Just J.Faye!

Related Posts

I love the taste of jambalaya and the dish has a ton of potential to fit nicely into a runner’s diet. There’s a lovely saute of vegetables, a spicy kick, and usually some form of protein (smoked andouille sausage, shrimp, and/or chicken). The sauce is then cooked together with white rice which allows the rice to soak up the delicious stock and absorb in the flavor.

My runner-friendly updates to this recipe include adding more (nontraditional) vegetables and cooking the rice separately. Cooking the rice separately sacrifices some flavor but it allows you to easily make a healthier brown rice or quinoa substitution without adjusting the amount of liquid or the cooking temperature. It will also allow you to get this recipe on the table quicker since you can cook the brown rice and the sauce at the same time.

It’s that wonderful time of year again! After suffering through all of the hot summer miles, runners everywhere are crushing their fall goal races, followed by enjoying the relief that comes with cooler temperatures and reduced mileage. Part of my personal post-marathon recovery always includes indulging in the things that I try to limit during training. This means comfort food, more social events, and the ability to enjoy a glass of wine on a Friday night (no long run in the morning)!
I created this Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta with Crispy Bacon and Sage recipe as part of my annual attempt to embrace pumpkin. If you love pumpkin but are getting sick of sweet desserts, this is for you!

In August, professional runner Shalane Flanagan announced to the world that she was running the NYC Marathon in 2018 and she launched her second cookbook, Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow which she co-wrote with her friend and natural foods chef, Elyse Kopecky the same day. At the time, I was just over six weeks postpartum, and I was very slow. Still, my husband and I jumped at the chance to celebrate the launch of their new cookbook at a local event. When one of us had the option to run in a “Fun Run” with Shalane and Elyse, he and I both knew that this was my “race” to run, and he cheered me on with our infant daughter strapped to him in the Ergo baby. As I watched Shalane fight for 3rd place in last weekend’s New York City Marathon, I found myself reflecting on that August “fun run” and what it meant to me.

Not A Minneapolis Running Subscriber?

Signup for our newsletter and get the most useful running info sent to you when and how you need it. We’ll also send you a FREE Marathon Training Plan!